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Safeguarding Updates

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  • Online Extortion

    Published 01/05/24

    A Guide for Parents

    With incidents of extortion significantly on the increase, it's important that parents know the signs and how to help and support their children. Although anybody can be targeted, the surge appears to be directed at boys aged 14+ and the motivation is usually financial. In the past, offenders would often threaten to share the victims intimate images with friends and family, but that very rarely happened. However, the police are now starting to see this happen more frequently, including threats made against victims. 

    You can find a web page to support from Internet Matters HERE.

    Mr S Auckland, Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead

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  • Safeguarding Matters

    Published 27/03/24
    Safe Travel
    Our local police support officers have advised that students take care when travelling to and from school. It's always best to travel with friends if possible, stick to well-lit and well-used roads, and keep any valuables out of sight.
     
    Vaping
    Local police have also advised us on the recent prevalence of vapes containing illegal drugs such as THC and spice, which can be incredibly harmful. A reminder to all that any vaping product is illegal for under 18s.
     
    Stay Healthy in Exam Season
    Young Minds have put together some excellent resources for children and their families during the exam season. Please see the links below:
    Best wishes,
    Mr S Auckland
    Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead
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  • Removal of Wizz App​​​​​​​

    Published 20/02/24

    There has been considerable concern in relation to abuse and extortion around this app. After being contacted by the NCMEC (National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children), both Apple and Google have removed Wizz from their app download stores. 

    It is now no longer available, however the app is still operating so users who previously downloaded it can still use it; we would urge parents and carers to check devices to make sure it has been removed.
     
    Best wishes,
    Mr S Auckland
    Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead
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  • Safeguarding Matters ~ Influencers

    Published 17/01/24

    Social media influencers can have a huge impact on their followers. Research shows that approximately one third of children and young people think that because the influencer is a 'celebrity', what they share is always positive. However, there are, of course, many differing views and commercial interests at play in a largely unregulated world.

    Internet Matters always offer parents and carers support with guiding young people online. You can find their article here on influencers.

    Best wishes,
    Mr S Auckland
    Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead

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  • AI Generated Images

    Published 06/12/23

    With the advances made in AI, parents and carers should be aware that children have unfortunately been the victims of online offenders, who have stolen and adjusted images from social media to be used criminally. We would therefore advise that all accounts are kept private and that security settings are kept high. 

    Should you encounter any incidents of this illegal behaviour, the Childline Report Remove Tool and the Police are the first places to turn. Do get in touch with us with any concerns.

    Best wishes,

    Mr S Auckland
    Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead

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  • Social Media Checklists - Updated

    Published 29/11/23

    South West Grid for Learning have produced some great checklists for social media and regularly update them. The most recent updates are for Snapchat and TikTok which are helpful for parents and carers as well as students.

    You can find the Snapchat checklist HERE and the TikTok checklist HERE.

    Best wishes,
    Mr S Auckland
    Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead

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  • Up-to-date contact details

    Published 15/11/23

    May we please remind all carers and parents to keep the school updated with any changes to contact details and addresses. It is vital that we have the correct details in the event that we need to get in touch.

    Best wishes,

    Mr S Auckland
    Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead

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  • Minimum age limits for social media platforms

    Published 08/11/23
    A reminder that the following platforms have these age limits:

    • 13: TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Omegle, Discord

    • 16: Whatsapp, Tumblr, Flickr, Periscope

    • 18: Clubhouse, Monkey, Meetme, LiveMe, Tagged, Yolo

    Snapchat remains one of the most popular apps used by children and young people. 

    Snapchat has a Family Centre feature and the company has added a couple of updates recently which parents may find useful, this includes seeing which friends their children have been sending messages to and a complete list of their child's existing friends.

    There is a full breakdown of the Snapchat safety features on the family centre HERE

    Best wishes,

    Mr S Auckland
    Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead
     
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  • School & personal email addresses

    Published 08/11/23
    School and personal email addresses

    A reminder to all parents/carers that students should have their own personal email for anything outside of school. Bexley Grammar School email addresses should only be used for school communication.

    Mr S Auckland
    Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead

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  • OxCAMHS Bexley ~ Calling all young people/parents & carers

    Published 08/11/23

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  • Phone settings & keeping kids active over the summer break (advice from INTERNET MATTERS)

    Published 05/07/23

    Dear Parents/Carers,

    May I take this opportunity to remind carers and parents of the importance of checking children's phone settings? We have been made aware of young people receiving unwanted upsetting content on their phones outside of school because privacy settings have been left unlocked.  

    On a separate note, as we approach the summer break, internet matters have produced a handy guide to apps that support young people keeping active over their holiday:

    https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/apps-guide/apps-to-help-kids-get-active/

    Kind regards,

    Mr S Auckland, Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Head
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  • Artificial Intelligence

    Published 28/06/23

    Dear Parents/Carers,

    You will no doubt be aware of the many discussions taking place around Artificial Intelligence. One area of AI which has seen rapid increased popularity is that of chatbots and AI friends, which are available on many platforms, such as Snapchat. As ever, it is vital that we know what our young people are experiencing when using such technology, and that we are active in talking to them about it.

    National Online Safety have produced this handy guide for parents to consider what carers and parents need to know about AI Virtual Friends.

    Kind regards,

    Mr S Auckland, Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Head

    Read More

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